Man wanted to hurt himself by starting North Austin bakery fire, police say

Mark D. Wilson @MDWilsonSA

Monday

Apr 9, 2018 at 12:01 AMSep 22, 2018 at 1:59 AM

A man who firefighters pulled from a fire inside a bathroom at the Tous les Jours bakery in North Austin on Friday told police he wanted to harm himself by starting the fire, court documents said.

Austin fire crews were called to the bakery in the 6800 block of North Lamar Boulevard at 1:41 p.m. after the owner saw smoke coming from the bathroom and evacuated the building.

According to an arrest affidavit, four employees and three customers were inside the bakery at the time.

First responders arrived and found black smoke coming from under the locked restroom door.

"When fire crews attempted to force open the locked door, they found it obstructed with a strap to keep it from opening fully and an unidentified subject pulling the door shut on them," the affidavit said.

Firefighters made contact with the man, later identified as Jatavius D’ante Merritt, and got him to come out of the bathroom.

Merritt told an arson investigator he used a lighter to ignite paper towels in a wall dispenser and some of his clothing because he wanted to hurt himself, the report said.

The fire caused an estimated $1,000 in damage, the affidavit said.

Merritt has been charged with arson, a state jail felony punishable by 180 days to two years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. He was in Travis County Jail on Monday with bail set at $7,500.

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